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During lockdown I’ve become just as plant-obsessed as I am book-obsessed. I’ve bought plants, propagated plants, repotted plants, and yes – killed them, I’m sad to say. But in this cycle I have learnt a lot about keeping indoor plants alive.
I always thought: a bit of sun, a bit of water – that’s all you need. But it’s not that simple! Plus, too much sun or water can actually kill your plant. Sometimes I feel like a plant will die if I so much as look at it the wrong way – I’m looking at you, Calathea.
However, from everything that I’ve learnt, I do have some tips that I hope you’ll find helpful.
Soil
When you buy a plant at the store, it comes with a pot and some soil, yes? But did you know how many different types of soil there are? Me neither, but I certainly do now.
A lot of indoor plant lovers mix their own potting mix. I’ve started doing this too, using a mix of indoor potting mix, coconut coir and perlite.
Indoor potting mix
My first tip: don’t use general potting mix for your indoor plants. Make sure it’s specifically indoor potting mix. This will prevent any bugs already living in the soil from spreading to your other house plants. Sometimes, indoor potting mix has bugs too, but not nearly as many. Also, don’t use soil from your garden – for the same reason.
Indoor potting mix still has the microbes/nutrients/science benefits that soil does, but without the bugs/pests.
Coconut coir
I bought a too-large bag of this so it’s a good thing it’s so useful! It’s similar to peat moss, but it’s a repurposed waste product and therefore a renewable resource.
Coconut coir retains moisture really well. Plus it’s inorganic, which means pests aren’t a fan. Yay for us.
Perlite
I highly, cannot-recommend-this-enough, suggest you use perlite in your potting mix. It does wonders for aerating the soil. I probably use too much, but considering some people grow propagations in full perlite, I figure it’s fine.
I had a bout of terrible root rot (more than one, actually, if I’m being honest) because I wasn’t using enough perlite in my soil. The dirt was condensing at the bottom of the pot and gnats were laying their eggs down there. It was perfect for them. Not so perfect for me. So now I use at least 50% perlite in my potting mix and my plants are loving it – I’ve got new leaves everywhere.
Sunlight
Note to self: direct light will burn plant leaves. Unless it’s a succulent, in which case I don’t think it’s considered to have leaves? I’ve put succulents in direct sun plenty and so far so good.
So many plants are known to like indirect sunlight. But just how indirect is too indirect? I’ve started putting mine by a south-facing window (I live in Australia), because the north light was too strong. If, during the plants growing period, they don’t seem to be doing much, then I’ll move them into brighter light as see how that goes.
As much as I hate to say it, every plant is different so you just need to try different things and see what works.
Water
The main cause of plant death is overwatering. My archenemy – root rot – comes from overwatering.
With coir and perlite in your potting mix I think it’s easier to tell when a plant needs water. Otherwise, dipping your finger into the soil to see how wet it is works too.
Humidity
A lot of plants, especially aroids, love a humid environment. Depending on your climate, this can be tricky to create.
- You can use a humidifier – if you can afford one, have the space, and will monitor it so that it doesn’t raise the room’s humidity above 50% because then mould can grow.
- You can cluster plants close together. I don’t think this does much – probably just spreads any pests.
- You can put plants on top of trays of water and pebbles. I’ve tried a variation of this for hydroponics and can understand the thinking behind it. I think this works better than other ideas (except for the humidifier).
- Some people spray their plants with water to try to raise the humidity, which counds as watering, I guess. I don’t do this though – you would need to do it an awful lot for it to be effective.
- Ignore the bathroom tip. A lot of online sources say to put your plants in the bathroom. This makes sense if you’re showering 24 hours a day, but usually you’re not. Bathrooms are designed to prevent mould – and therefore prevent humidity!
Nutrients
I’ve just got a short note on nutrients for plants in soil. In hydroponics, this is more important, but plants in soil can get nutrients from the soil. If you want to give them a boost though, a bit of fertiliser can go a long way.
Liquid fertiliser
There are different types of fertiliser, including pellets, powders and liquids. My favourite is a liquid that you add to water. It’s easy to keep track of so you don’t accidentally over-fertilise your plant – which is a thing!
Hydrogen peroxide
Pretty sure this isn’t considered a fertiliser, but a small dose of diluted (seriously, like 1%) hydrogen peroxide can help plants get extra oxygen to their roots. It also helps prevent/fix root rot (just be aware that it can cancel out organic fertilisers).
Repotting
I am guilty of repotting my plants too much (especially when I was experimenting with soil types). But you shouldn’t repot a plant unless:
- It has root rot (usually from overwatering or a not-so-great potting mix).
- It is root bound (the roots have outgrown the pot).
If the plant is happy, leave it! I have made the unfortunate mistake of taking a happy plant out of its home… it sure showed its disapproval afterwards.
Small plants can be especially tricky to repot; they need room to grow, but not so much room that they can’t drink up any excess water in their pot. You don’t want a plant sitting in too much wet soil or it will be more likely to get root rot.
How are you keeping your indoor plants alive?
Plants do need a bit of sun and a bit of water, but if you change up a few things (e.g. potting mix and nutrients) you’ll find keeping indoor plants alive much easier. Have you got any tips?